


Gone

by Adsagsona



Category: Spartacus Series (TV), Spartacus: Vengeance
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Modern Era, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-07-11 20:35:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15979994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adsagsona/pseuds/Adsagsona
Summary: Agron's brother is being a brat... and then he goes missing.





	1. Chapter 1

Duro usually accompanied Agron everywhere. Since they had been children he was that annoying little brother who always wanted to play, bugging Agron until he would agree. Hide and seek often resulted in Agron not really looking and Duro eventually getting mad and punching him for not even doing the ‘seeking’ part.  
It got even worse when Agron became a teenager and Duro was still very much a child. But then one day Agron’s parents begged for him to take his younger brother in, so they could get some sleep. Duro had turned from a very happy child into a grumpy teenager and they hoped that he would benefit from Agron’s influence.

“I’m stuck with him… again.” Agron complained to one of his best friends. He’d only met Spartacus a few months ago but yet they had become close almost instantly. Agron had wanted to hit on him but it was very clear to him early on that the man was straight, so instead there was time for friendship, one Agron now sincerely valued.

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad.” His friend smiled at him as he clapped his shoulder. “I’m sure that you’ll get along again quickly, he just has to get used to living with you again. And you with… well, anyone. Living alone has made you a grump too, Agron.”

Spartacus could just duck from the punch flying his way and he laughed as Agron chased him through the house. They were lucky Spartacus’ girlfriend Mira wasn’t home or they would have gotten an earful about how men were nothing more than children. Agron had learned that the couple was trying to have children but thus far they hadn’t been able to.

“Go home, Agron, see your brother and make sure he’s ok.” Spartacus smiled and nodded towards the door. Agron sighed, he had delayed it long enough he supposed. He had welcomed his brother the day before but that had not really been well received. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow… I think, if I’m not too sore from all the punishment you put me through.” Agron grinned in reply before walking out the door. He walked down the outside staircase of the apartment, which was located above the gym Spartacus owned.

It wasn’t all that modern, but Agron loved it here. It was small and everyone knew each other, but without it getting too competitive. If only that stupid Crixus would get out of his face, he would be perfectly happy coming here each day.  
He picked up his gym bag at the entrance lockers and walked out towards his own apartment. It was tiny compared to what Spartacus owned, but he was single and he didn’t feel the need to live bigger. He was close to everything, didn’t need a car, to him it was perfect. He wanted to find a workshop for himself in later years, maybe live above it as well.  
For now he worked for his boss Saxa.

Pulling the hood of his jacket over his head he hurried home. Agron was sure that it would be raining any minute now and he was glad to be home. Shaking himself off a little, a bit wet-dog-like, Agron found it quiet in the apartment. A bit too quiet since there had been music blasting yesterday when he got home.

“Duro?” He questioned as he walked from his small hallway into his livingroom. It didn’t consist of much, just a corner where he had been able to put a couch and tv, with a small table beside it to be able to eat. On the other side was the open kitchen and another small hallway with three doors. One to the bathroom and two to small bedrooms. One he had been using as a form of storage. Said items were now piled up into the corridor so he had to be careful where to stand as he walked through to knock on the bedroom door.

“Duro? Are you home?” He asked again, but got no reply.

“Duro, come on man, this isn’t funny. At least just say ‘yes’ and I’ll get out of your hair.” Agron grumbled as he knocked again. He found the door unlocked and opened it. There was nobody on the bed, which was about the only place big enough for a human to easily lay or sit down.

“Shit.” Agron sighed, Duro was supposed to be home hours ago. He quickly tried to call, but of course his younger brother didn’t pick up the phone. Having enough of the attitude, Agron decided to just start to cook for himself. Duro could go look for his own dinner for all he cared.  
Quickly throwing some things together, he looked at his phone now and again but there still was no reply. There was a time when Duro would have done anything for his big brother, but that time seemed to have passed. It saddened Agron a little if he was honest.  
When it was an hour later and Duro still wasn’t home, Agron began to get anxious. This wasn’t something for Duro, even if his parents had told him that he was being a total brat. Not like this, he figured, or he hoped. He wasn’t sure if he should call his parents or not, not wanting to be a failure in their eyes. One day and his baby brother was already out on the town on his own. Great!

He didn’t even know if Duro had friends whom he could call. 

Agron went back to Duro’s room and looked about until he spotted something. Duro’s wallet. Normally he wouldn’t look in it but fuck it, he needed to start somewhere. All his money was still there, even his card to his almost non existant bank account. He seemed to have taken his backpack with him though… 

Agron called again.

“Where are you, you little fuck? Come on, I won’t be mad, but just get home, yeah?” Agron spoke into the answering machine before clicking his phone off.

Would he have run away? Agron was beginning to think all sorts of things when he heard someone coming up the stairs. He hurried towards the door and opened it to give Duro a piece of his mind, but it was just his upstairs neighbor coming home.

“Hey… how are you? You didn’t happen to see someone leave today, right?” Agron asked. The young man shook his head.  
“Not that I know of, but I’ve been at work so… everything was quiet here when I left. What was with the music last night?”

Agron sighed and rolled his eyes. “My younger brother is staying with me for a bit. I promise he won’t bother you anymore, he’ll be quiet.”

A quick smile and the young man was up to his own apartment, leaving Agron more anxious than before. 

Where was Duro?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agron and his friends go looking for Duro, but find someone else instead...

Duro had been gone for two days already and Agron was going crazy. Despite all his grumbling he loved his baby brother to bits. He’d called his parents after a day that their son was missing. Of course they blamed themselves for not being good parents and sending him away to live in a big city with his brother. While there was not a word of blame towards Agron, he felt the sting and wanted nothing more than to have Duro back.

He’d had to wait for 24 hours to report him missing, which was excruciating. Even Spartacus didn’t believe him at first, but afterwards he had texted Agron to apologise and if he could help. They were meeting each other for a search party, since the police wouldn’t do much. Duro was a teenager, but they ran away all the time, so what was the rush, right? Agron almost had knocked the man down for his words, but he had just been able to control his temper.  
As his doorbell rang, he made to answer, his heart jumping a little… but Duro had a key, so there was no reason for him to ring.   
Agron had just rolled out of bed and was only dressed in a pair of sweatpants, but he figured nobody would need to actually see him.

“Yeah?”

“Agron, get your butt down here. There’s ten of us here, but you have to tell us where to look.”  
He was quite sure that it was Spartacus’ voice through the speaker.

“Spartacus, what are you talking about?”

“You told me the police did nothing so… we can at least try.”

“You wanna… you wanna help me with Duro?” Agron asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, so are you coming downstairs or what?”

A grin spread over Agron’s face as he realized what this meant. “Give me five minutes, I’ll be right there.”  
He hurried along to dress more warmly and hopped on one foot to get his army boots on. Where could they start to look? Duro didn’t really have regular haunts in the city yet. Maybe they could just see in the neighbourhood and go from there. He bounded downstairs and was met with Spartacus and Mira, a sour looking Crixus and his girlfriend Naevia, Saxa and a girl he hadn’t met before, Donar… Agron only now realized what good friends he had.

“Hey guys…” He greeted and they all looked his way.

“So… where could we start to look?” Spartacus asked, not wasting any time. After a moment of thought Agron opted for knocking on a few doors in the neighbourhood with a picture of his brother on his phone.

It was the most recent he had of him, nose ring and all. He knew how much his mother had hated it the moment Duro had come home with one. Agron thought it was kind of cool although he’d look ridiculous with it. His mother had not forgiven him yet for the dreads he had talked Duro into a year ago.   
They walked in pairs and each went in another direction, hoping that they would come up with something at least. Agron had to suffer through one negative response after the other and eventually he was about done.

“Nobody will know him, he was here for barely a day.” He told Spartacus who had been walking with him. 

“Maybe we should try the park again and the road towards it… there’s always some young people hanging around there. We could try and ask them. Agron… your brother, he wasn’t into anything illegal was he?”

Agron glared at his friend who immediately lifted up his hand.

“I’m just asking! I know that some of the kids near the park do drugs… maybe he went there to score. I..” 

“Spartacus, stop it.” Agron shook his head, that would be nothing like his brother. Still, his feet carried him towards the park and his friend began to follow him. It was near dark and he could see a few bikes thrown into the bushes, skateboarders hoarding the small ramp which had been set up ages ago. Nobody looked like his brother, he wasn’t here either.

“Hey… can I talk to you for a sec?” He asked the nearest kid, who looked him up and down.

“Not interested.”

“I just want to know if you’ve seen my little brother. He’s gone missing.”

That softened the kid up a little and he took the phone to take a better look at the young man on the picture. Slowly he shook his head. “No man, sorry… don’t know who he is.” Agron asked a few others but they knew very quickly that they were out of luck.

When Spartacus and Agron were headed back out, a girl approached them. “Hey ehm… I don’t know if this will help or not, but there’s a dude a bit further down the park who’s been sleeping there. We don’t bother him, he don’t bother us type of deal. It’s maybe worth to check out.”  
They both thanked the girl and then looked at each other.

“Maybe… let’s check it out.” Spartacus said in the end as they walked to the entrance at the far end of the park. It was rarely used and was barely kept open. One of the trees had made their own way in roots and leaves, making it difficult for the men to walk in without getting their clothes dirty.  
Agron spotted the bench near a playground which was all but destroyed. He figured that at one time families would gather here on Sundays, but those days were long gone.

A figure sat huddled on said bench, almost entirely wrapped in blankets. It was only when they were spotted that there was suddenly a lot of action. The blankets were thrown to the side and the homeless person (Agron just assumed) made a beeline for the trees and the park beyond.

“Hey… hey, wait ,we just want to talk!” Agron yelled as they both sprinted behind the other. They were well trained but still it was not easy to gain terrain on someone who seemed to know every treeroot and snapping branch by heart.

“We’re not gonna hurt you, wait!”

Spartacus tried this time but that seemed to no avail. Agron decided to take a chance and leapt towards the figure, just catching him below the knees and the both of them tumbled to the ground.

“Get off me!” 

“We just wanted to ask…”

“I said… get… off… me!” The young man yelled again as he used his feet to free himself. Agron’s hold tightened and then Spartacus was there too.

“Agron, let him go. He might sue you.” 

Agron huffed but let go and stood, brushing off his clothes. The homeless guy, which seemed to be a young man himself, did the same. He glared between the two of them. “What do you want?”

“My little brother is missing.” Agron showed him the picture on his phone. For a moment he thought he saw a hint of recognition in the boy’s face before it went blank again.

“Sorry, can’t help you.”

“Are you sure? Please, anything could help.”

The boy shook his head again and wanted to go, but Spartacus stopped him.

“Hey ehm… we don’t want to cause trouble, but are you alright? Do you need help?”

“I’m fine.” 

The way the boy replied reminded Agron so much of Duro that he quickly fished for a grocery list in his pocket and glanced at Spartacus for a pen. He scribbled down his phone number. “Just in case. Spartacus is from the gym a few blocks down, and I’m Agron. Just… you know. If you need it. Do you have a name?”  
Dark eyes settled on the both of them, looking from one to the other.

“Tiberius. They call me Tiberius.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone see where I'm going with this? -grins-


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duro is still missing and Agron is frustrated... then he gets a call.

Agron had been stalking the local police office to get more information about his brother's disappearance. He wondered if they were  
even bothering to search for him since they thought he would show up any day now. That he hadn't taken his wallet with him didn't  
even seem to be a hindrance.  
Spartacus had gone with him since he had threatened to get physical with a police officer... that didn't sit well with them and they  
had told Agron they understood abouth is grievance as an older brother but that nobody threatened the police.

"How come they don't have /anything/?!" Agron hissed at Spartacus once they got out of the office again.

"Agron, I... I don't know what to say. I'm sorry." Spartacus answered in a grave voice.

Agron in his grief wanted to toss it out that Spartacus had no idea what he was talking about anyway, but he did. The man knew about loss.  
Probably better than Agron did himself. The gym owner never talked about it much, but Mira had once confided in Agron and told him that  
she was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to Spartacus. She would never be able to compete with his first wife and she was  
getting tired. Agron hoped that talking to him had helped since they were still together and she hadn't said anything again.

"Yeah..." He just replied instead of the toxic words on his tongue. "I'm just... I'm gonna go home." He sighed as he waved off the other's concern. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible before he changed his mind and would attack that police officer anyway. He had no idea what he could tell his parents. They were planning to come over to help the search, but he had told them that it would be no use.

Since he had gone to the police right after work, he had planned to go home after. At the moment, he really didn't feel like going to the empty apartment where he would just miss his brother. He walked down to one of the bars where he could drink and forget. Agron slid on one of the barstools and ordered his usual beer. 

"Hey man, got any news today?" The bartender asked. Agron had been coming in quite regularly and like it was with bartenders, he got a bit of the story and had been following the news afterwards. 

"Nah, nothing... nothing at all." Agron lifted his beer and took a big swallow. At first he ignored the tune in his pocket, but then it insisted. He would have to pick it up, he supposed. He frowned at the unknown number but picked up anyway. "Hello?"

"A-gron?"

"Duro, is that you?" Agron's heart leapt, but he did not recognise the voice, this couldn't be his brother. Who was it, who else had his number who'd call him from...

"Help, please..."

"I want to, who are you? How can I help?" Agron slid off the bar stool and walked to the outside. "Hello? Hello!" The voice on the other end didn't say anything anymore, but he could hear that the line was still open. It dawned on him that he had given his number to someone else recently. Someone who had called himself;..

"Tiberius?! Tiberius, where are you?"

Still, there was no answer. Agron hurried up his pace and doubted a moment, but then broke the line to call Spartacus. "Hey, can you help? I think that kid from the park called me and he wasn't in good shape. Meet me there?"

With Spartacus' 'yes' still in his ears he sprinted towards the park and used the back entrance like before. He just hoped that he would spot Tiberius at the same place he had done before. Waiting for Spartacus was excrutiating, but he didn't go in alone, he didn't dare to. When his friend finally arrived they headed into the park and walked towards the dilapated playground.

"There!" Spartacus shouted and they both noticed the figure beneath the monkey bars. An outdated cellphone was clutched still in hand, Agron called out to Tiberius softly, but got no response. They neared him slowly and then turned him onto his back. Agron gasped at the bruises on the young man's face. 

"He's unconscious." Spartacus said. 

"Who could do such a thing? He wasn't harming anyone." Agron grumbled as he could feel his stomach churn at the thought alone. Tiberius' eyes slowly blinked a few times and he wanted to scramble to his feet when he realised he wasn't alone anymore.

"Tiberius... easy, you called me, remember? It's Agron. We're here to help you. We're going to call an ambulance, ok?"

"No..." Tiberius whispered as he shook his head. "Please, no."

"Tiberius, you're hurt..." Agron tried again but still the young man didn't want to hear it. He made a move to get up again and Spartacus put a hand on the young man's chest which made him start to panic.

"Wow... hey, nono... calm yourself. We're not here to hurt you." Agron began but then he relented. "Would you go with me? Would that be ok?"

Tiberius calmed down a little and looked at Agron the best he could with swollen eyes. Then he slowly nodded. 

"Ok... we'll go in the car with Spartacus here and I'll take care of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, thank you for the kudos! Trying to get some speed in the story :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agron tries to help Tiberius.

The ride towards Agron’s apartment was a spent in awkward silence. Tiberius had folded himself up on the backseat and just stared at the window. Spartacus and Agron didn’t really know what to say to the young man to make him feel better, so they thought it better to say nothing at all. When they stopped near the apartment Agron told Spartacus they’d be alright.

Tiberius slipped from the car.

“Come on, the apartment isn’t much, but I have a shower.” Agron smiled at Tiberius, who looked at him as if he wasn’t even there. It pained Agron and he just walked on, hoping that the younger man would follow him.   
It didn’t take long before he heard other footsteps. He didn’t dare to turn around, thinking Tiberius would turn and run the moment Agron watched him more closely.  
He unlocked the door for the both of them and let the young man in.

“Ok ehm… so this is my living room and kitchen. The bathroom is just there.” He pointed to the door in the hallway. “Feel free to take a shower, towels and all are in the cupboards. We’ll check out some of those bruises after, yeah?”

Tiberius bit his lower lip and Agron could see some dried blood on it. Then he slowly nodded. Agron had no idea what was going on in the dark haired man’s mind as he disappeared into the bathroom.   
A minute later he could hear the water running and he relaxed somewhat. There was a stranger in his home who looked like he’d wrestled a few men his size.   
What on earth had he been thinking?

Agron tried to occupy himself in the kitchen and he was just about done when he heard the bathroom door. Looking over his shoulder he found Tiberius, completely clean and dressed just in a towel.

“Tiberius, how are you…?” He began but didn’t get the chance to finish his question. The young man quickly pressed his lips to Agron’s mouth. His hands were all over, searching for Agron’s jeans, the top button undone before he could stop it.

“Stop… stop it!” He shouted a bit harder than intended, which made Tiberius cringe.

“I’m sorry… I just… I don’t want that.” Agron clarified as he took a step back.

“Isn’t that what you all want? Look, you’re nice enough and all and I know that I did call you so… you get something back. It’s fair.” Tiberius said.  
Agron didn’t like the empty look in the young man’s eyes.

“No.” Agron repeated as he sighed and shook his head.

“I’m not going to pretend that I know what you’ve been through, but I really just… wanted to make sure that you were ok. So, finish that shower properly and I’ll see if I can find you some clothes, yeah?” He questioned.

Tiberius didn’t seem to understand, was suspicious of Agron. There was something on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t say the words. Didn’t say ‘am I not pretty enough for you or something’ because he felt like that would be the wrong move with this big man.

“Alright…” He breathed softly as he walked back, not turning his back on Agron but taking the few necessary paces back to the bathroom and locking the door. The bigger man let out a deep sigh the moment Tiberius had disappeared.

“Fuck the gods.” He whispered as he realized what Tiberius had been getting at. Had he thought he was a john, just looking to get laid? That that was why he had left his phone number. Was that what Tiberius did in that park?

A small shudder ran through him as he walked to Duro’s bedroom. It had remained untouched in the few weeks he had been gone and Agron was reluctant to go in, but Tiberius would fit in Duro’s clothes. Agron’s would just look ridiculously big on him.   
After the good five minutes Agron had been waiting before, now it took longer before Tiberius appeared again.  
Agron had dropped off the clothes before the door and had knocked, explaining what he was doing. Tiberius had opened up, received the clothes with a surprised look on his face and disappeared again.  
Now he had returned to the living room, looking better. In a stolen thought Agron caught himself before he could say ‘gorgeous’ quietly to himself.

“You didn’t have the chance to shower in a while, hm?” Agron asked, earning a glare.

“I showered every other day if I could, in the local pool.” Tiberius grumped a he sat down on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. Agron had been right, the clothes fitted him quite well.

"I didn't mean anything by it." Agron replied as he realised that it wasn't immediately the best route to start insulting Tiberius. 

The young man nodded and then stood, going to the backpack which he'd had with him and slinging it over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Agron asked in concern.

"I..." Tiberius began as he looked at Agron with a bit of surprise in his eyes. "Well... you didn't want anything so I thought that it would be better to get out of your hair as soon as I could. It's not like you want me to hang around ,right? So I just thought that it was easier to leave."

Agron shook his head. "Look, it's dark out, it's late. I'm not going to let you go back to that bench. You're still hurting and..."

"Am not."

"You are... I know what it's like to have bruises, so don't think that you can hide it. Have you looked after them at least?"

Tiberius flushed a little and nodded. "I found the first aid kit."

"Good. Then you should get some sleep." 

Agron gestured for the young man to follow him and he walked with him, backpack clutched in his hands. On the treshhold he was still in doubt and Agron wasn't sure if he would run or just go in.

"You can lock the door from the inside if you need it." He clarified as he gestured towards the key in the lock. Somehow there was a little relief and he nodded slowly.

"Alright, I guess I can do one night."

Agron gave a nod and left Tiberius in Duro's room. He closed the door behind him and he could hear the distinct click of the lock as he went to the living room. Only an hour later he went to sleep himself, hoping that he could rest some. He was asleep almost the moment his head touched the pillow.

Then the screams started.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agron and Tiberius deal with the nightmare.

At first Agron just woke up with a start, not knowing where he was or what was going on. He had been roused from a deep sleep and the scream had left him very unsettled. Then he remembered that there was someone in the other bedroom again. Not his brother, but the young man called Tiberius. What had happened?  
Jumping out of bed, not thinking on pulling a shirt over his head he hurried towards the room across the hall. Hesitating he tried the door knob but the door was still locked.

"Tiberius? Are you alright?"

He just got a few sniffles as a response before he heard the other's voice.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry I woke you." 

Tiberius' voice sounded weak and Agron was not reassured by it. "Can I please come in?" He asked as he leaned against the doorway, hoping that Tiberius would peek out at least so that he could make sure he was alright. It took more than a minute but then he heard the click of the lock and the young man appeared, dishevelled and teary eyed.

"It was a nightmare... I'll be fine." He tried to sound strong but he was failing and he wiped at his eyes. 

"You know ehm... I always made my brother Duro a cup of warm milk when he couldn't sleep. You want one?" Agron asked and while he was sure that the other still didn't fully trust him, there was a hesitance that gave him some hope.   
"Yeah... yeah thanks." 

Agron walked to the kitchen and Tiberius followed him out. He still wore the t-shirt he had on the day before and he walked to the small table and seated himself at it, keeping an eye on Agron. The bigger man patted around the kitchen to find some milk that he could warm.

"Does it happen often? The nightmares, I mean?" He asked and Tiberius didn't know what to say so he just nodded. He didn't want to talk about what had happened to him which gave him nightmares, and Agron didn't press him. Five minutes later he had a cup of warm milk in front of him and Agron sitting down next to him and nursing a cup of his own. 

"Do you think you can sleep better now?" Agron asked again and Tiberius bit his lower lip. He wanted to trust Agron, who had been so kind to him, but it was hard on him to do so since the last time he had trusted it had gone so horribly wrong. "You make me feel safe." He whispered as he glanced at the other man, blushing as he did. It somehow made Agron smile a little.

"You know what... I have a big bed. We could share it." He held up his hands when Tiberius immediately shut down again and shook his head.

"I don't mean it like that, I mean... sharing a bed. You on your side and I on mine. If I make you feel safe than you might sleep better when there's someone in the room, right? I'd tell you to sleep on the floor but that's really uncomfortable and I don't want your back to hurt. It's up to you, if you want to back to the other room it's fine too."

Again he could feel the hesitation. Agron drank down his own cup and set it in the sink before walking back to his own room. He left the door open a little and got into bed. He didn't really think that the younger man would join him. Agron was already half asleep when he heard the door opening a bit further and the mattress dipping. Tiberius had avoided touching him and after a few minutes more he didn't think on it and just slept.

He had get up early to go to work the next day and when he woke up he found Tiberius curled against him, sleeping heavily. Slowly Agron slid out of bed and picked up his clothes, not wanting to wake Tiberius up. He ate breakfast quietly and on his own, writing a note to the other that he didn't have to go, but if he wished he could just close the door behind him and it would be locked. There was an offer of breakfast added and then Agron left for work.

He was nervous all day and it dawned on him that he was quite sure that Tiberius would be gone. Somewhere he had hope that he could help the young man if he just let him. His heart sank when he walked into an empty apartment. The note he had written was gone and when he looked in the fridge he saw that Tiberius had eaten. Everything was washed and put neatly back into the cupboards. With a sigh he started on dinner. He put on the tv and wanted to settle to eat when he heard a small knock on the door.

Tiberius stood there, backpack in his hands.

"Your note said that I could... you know, come back. Is that still ok?" He asked and Agron smiled at him, stepping aside to let him in. "Yeah, you know the way. Did you eat already?"

Tiberius shook his head and went to put his backpack in the smaller room. Agron grabbed another plate and they sat down for dinner together. While he expected the young man to excuse himself after, he helped with the dishes and then settled himself on the couch a bit away from Agron, but still some companionship. When Tiberius went to bed this time, his door wasn't locked.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of shenannigans between 'Tiberius' and Agron, and a bit of fluff.

It became a bit of a routine over the next few days. Even when Tiberius felt ok, he would crawl into bed with Agron the moment he was sure that the other man was asleep. He stayed on his side, only to roll over and be plastered against Agron’s body in the morning. This had left Agron feeling awkward more than once, as his body responded to the closeness.

Since he always got up first, he had not been embarrassed by this yet and could make sure that Tiberius ate breakfast before he went out to work. Where the young man went during the day he did not say and Agron hoped that it was not back to the park where they found him.

After about a week Agron sat down in the evening when Tiberius came through the door and put his backpack in Duro’s room. He had been more comfortable and walked around the place like he felt at home, finding everything he needed to set the table while Agron had the food ready.

“Tiberius, where do you go during the day?” Agron asked and the next second Tiberius froze with his hands around the glasses he was about to set to the table.  
“That’s none of your business.” He didn’t really snap at Agron, but it was short and businesslike.

“It kinda is…” Agron tried although he knew that it was true, just because Tiberius slept in his apartment didn’t mean that he had anything to say in the matter.

Tiberius set the glasses on the table and then he walked out of the small kitchen and towards the bedroom where he began to pack again. Agron quickly went after him.

“Tiberius…” He began but the other cut him off.

“I don’t need anyone watching me 24/7 to see what I do or not. That’s something that…” He shook his head and didn’t elaborate further. “I’ll be out of your hair in a few minutes. Thanks for letting me stay here for a couple of days.”

Agron bit his lower lip and leaned against the doorway.

“I just… worry about you, ‘s all. I still remember how we found you, Tiberius so… I mean, you’re not going back there, are you? Because you don’t need to.”

“It’s not like I have much choice, right? Not much else that I’m good for or anything.” The younger man muttered under his breath which confirmed Agron’s fear.

“Have you tried to find a job?”

Fierce brown eyes bored themselves into Agron’s blue ones.

“Of course I did! Do you think that anyone wants to hire a guy who has no prior experience, or a diploma… and oh, by the way, who sleeps in a park and blows guys for money?” He hissed and Agron almost crumbled under the words.

“I could help you find one, my friend owns a gym and he is looking for a janitor. It’s not the most luxurious of jobs but he wouldn’t mind who you are. If I say you’re good, you’re good. And you wouldn’t have to leave here.” He folded his hands together as he looked at the other man, desperate to be able to help.

“You’re already letting me stay here, why do you want to help me so much? What’s the catch?”

“No catch. My friends and I know what it is to struggle at times, so we do what we can to help… you don’t have to take it but… think it over?” Agron pushed himself off the doorway and went back into the kitchen, letting Tiberius find it out on his own. It took a little while longer before Tiberius returned to the kitchen as well.

“Ok, you can tell your friend I want to try for the job. Is it that Spartacus guy that was with you?”

Agron nodded in response, secretly happy that Tiberius considered it.

“He’s not like… your boyfriend, is he?”  
Agron almost choked on his dinner and then laughed, shaking his head. “No, he is straight… he has a girlfriend and they’re happy together. We’ve been the best of friends but I never tried anything. So you better not either.”

Tiberius shrugged. “So you’re… not seeing anybody?”

“Nope.” Agron wondered what the questions were about.

“Sorry, just guessing that you would since… you know, you’re obviously hot.” Tiberius sighed as he began his dinner, leaving Agron stunned for a moment.

“You think I’m hot?” He questioned and Tiberius looked up again.

“Sure I do… but don’t worry, not gonna do anything. You let me sleep in your apartment, that’s good enough for me.” He was thinking something else entirely but he didn’t let Agron know this, just kept on eating and leaving Agron in a wonder.

When Tiberius retreated to his room Agron made the phonecall to Spartacus to talk about him about a possible job for his temporary roommate.  
“  
You really think it’s a good idea?” Spartacus really didn’t seem all too sure.

“The kid just needs a break, Spartacus. It’s something we all needed at one point, right?” Agron knew that he was pressing but his friend had talked about the upkeep of the gym. “You don’t have to pay him a lot, just… let him start out. Gain some work experience and all… maybe I can talk to him about school even.”

He wasn’t aware that someone was listening in, the walls were rather thin in the small apartment. 

“Yeah, I’ll bring him over tomorrow. Thanks, Spartacus.”

Quickly Tiberius slipped into his room again so Agron had no clue he had overheard. It warmed his heart that the other man was doing so much effort for him. Effort he in his mind did not deserve. While every instinct told him to run now that he still could get out, he remained. He waited until Agron was in his bedroom and seemingly asleep before sneaking in again.

He figured Agron was used to it by now, even if they had never spoken about it after that first time. He slipped in bed and turned on his side, making himself comfortable and staying as still as possible. It was the other man who turned around and wrapped an arm around his form, eyes closed. 

That morning Tiberius didn’t move out of Agron’s arms and the other man didn’t get out of bed early either. He’d taken the morning off to go to Spartacus’ gym and introduce his housemate. 

“Is this ok?” Tiberius asked softly, not wanting to disturb the lazy atmosphere in the bedroom.

“Yeah, it’s fine…” Agron murmured, turning his head just enough to spot Tiberius looking at him. 

“You haven’t even tried to touch me, it’s been over a week…” 

Agron sighed and turned on his side as well. 

“Tiberius…” 

“Nasir.”

For a moment Agron didn’t know how to respond, a little taken aback by the short answer and not sure what it meant. “Wh… what do you mean?”

“My name, it’s Nasir. Tiberius is… a name given to me a while ago.”

“You liked to be called Nasir again?” Agron asked and Nasir nodded. He hoped that he could go back to the man who wore that name.

“Ok… Nasir. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I like to get to know someone first. I don’t even know if you’re really attracted to me or not. We don’t know each other well so… no, I haven’t touched you.”

Nasir squinted his eyes a little in the near darkness.

“Does… that mean that you want to know me?”

“If you stay long enough that I get the chance.” Agron replied in a soft tone. He was still anxious over his brother, not being able to find him. He liked having someone around again but he had wondered if it was just that… wanting someone around so that he would not be alone.  
He had concluded his feelings for Nasir ran deeper than that.

“I don’t think I’ll be gone that soon… if you’ll have me.” The words were soft spoken and it was clear they took an effort for Nasir to say.

“I’d like to get to know Nasir.” Agron smiled before glancing at his watch. “Time for breakfast, you’re going to meet the gang and hopefully we’ll get a job out of it for you.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nasir gets a job, and Agron looks for Duro.

Agron could feel that Nasir was still unsure about the whole thing. It of course was quite a big change from going to being homeless to having a place to stay and the outlook on a job. He wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to decide right away, but he silenced himself, letting Nasir take the decision on his own. 

“If we walk through there I can go into the police station a minute, would you mind?” Agron asked and the moment he watched the younger man pale he realized that it might not have been the exact right thing to ask without explanation.

“No, no, Nasir… it’s not for you. I swear it’s not for you.” Agron shook his head. “Remember the picture of my brother I showed you? He’s still missing and I go by every day to ask for him. You know, make sure that they do everything they can.”

“You still haven’t heard from him?” Nasir asked. “I’m sorry, I just assumed that he was back since you didn’t talk about him much.”

Agron shook his head. “He would have been staying with me otherwise. I’ll just go check, I’ll be right back.”

Nasir sat himself down on the steps of the police office, now knowing why Agron had a room for him. His brother should have been sleeping in that room ,he supposed. Silently he waited for is newfound friend to return and when he did, he could see on the look of Agron’s face that the visit had not been positive.

“Nothing?”

“They say they’re trying everything they can. Pure bullshit. They think he’s ran away and they don’t do anything to keep looking.” He grumbled, pissed off at the officer who told him that they were doing their best. 

“I’m sorry.” Nasir answered softly and before Agron could say a word he wrapped his arms around the other man and held him close. A small smile escaped Agron as he hugged Nasir back, not expecting such a conscious show of affection. 

“We’ll get him back.” Agron murmured in conviction and Nasir nodded although he didn’t dare to hope that the man’s brother would return. Taking a deep breath, Agron got himself together and they walked on towards the part of town where Spartacus had opened his gym. Since it was still rather early there weren’t many people around and Spartacus was looking out for people himself, making sure they used the weights properly.  
When he spotted the couple coming towards him, he showed a new exercise to one of his clients before walking over to them. “Hey Agron.” Spartacus began before holding out his hand to Nasir. “And again, nice to meet you.”

Nasir, a bit baffled by the polite approach, took Spartacus’ hand and smiled. “Ehm… nice to meet you too.”

“Agron told me that you would like to get a job. What I can offer is very basic… it’s more cleaning and making sure everything is set back in order after the day.”

Spartacus still wasn’t sure if this was a wise move, giving someone he barely knew a job… But Agron was looking at Nasir with such pride that he couldn’t help himself. Hopefully they were shown right and Nasir could cope with the job and a more regular kind of life.

“Yeah, anything is good really. I’ll work for it… I know you’re giving me a chance because of Agron, I’m not going to let him down.”

Spartacus nodded at the firm words and Agron was trying to keep a calm look on his face. “Ok, can you start right now, would that be ok for you?” Spartacus asked and Nasir beamed and nodded. 

“Yeah sure.”

“I’ll give you a trial period of one week and then we’ll sign your contract if everything goes right. If you go up to see Mira, she can tell you where to start.” 

Nasir went into the direction Spartacus told him and then the two friends were alone. Agron let out a sigh in relief and embraced his friend to thank him.

“Don’t thank me yet, I’m not sure if he’ll be ok with this when he sees what I’m paying him. Are you sure about letting him stay with you?”

“As long as Duro isn’t back home, the room is empty anyway… and I can help him afterwards. Find him a place of his own, you know.” Agron began before he hesitated, making Spartacus look at him.

“Agron… what is it?”

“We’re sleeping together. I mean, really sleeping together. He’s got nightmares and he sleeps better when he’s not alone.” Agron explained, looking away when Spartacus’ gaze was on him.

“Don’t start.” He muttered.

“You’re falling for him, aren’t you? He’s just your type.” Spartacus remarked and he patted Agron’s upper arm.

“Please be careful? I don’t want to help you through a heartbreak… We don’t know anything about him, where he is from, what happened to him… You said that he sold himself?”

“Does that matter? He’s a good guy.” Agron replied and Spartacus shook his head. “If he wants to do something with his life he’s more than welcome here.” Spartacus hesitated a moment. “Did you stop by the police?”

“Yeah… they won’t tell me a thing.” Agron sighed.

He didn’t want Spartacus looking at him like that, full of sympathy. “Ehm… will Nasir be alright with you guys? Just tell him he can come home when he wants. I’m having the day off, I’m going to look through some things.”

“Ok, I’ll tell him.” 

Agron nodded and waved at Nasir who was talking to Mira. It was a hesitating gesture he got back, but he was sure they would be alright. Instead of walking back to the apartment Agron did a tour again of the town, to see if he could find anything related to Duro. It had been weeks, far too long, but he felt like he needed to.  
Hands in his pockets, he wandered through the streets until he ended up back near his apartment. He hasn’t eaten since that morning and he was sure that Nasir would be home soon. Spartacus would not let him work too late and be fair.

Nasir was home an hour after Agron had gone back to the apartment, looking happy about his day. Against what he had learned so far, Nasir was talkative and he told about his day until he recgonised Agron’s mood and silenced himself.

“Are you ok?” He asked then and Agron shook his head, although he didn’t want to burden Nasir with this.

“Your brother?” Nasir followed up.

“I just can’t understand why they can’t find him.” Agron murmured and despite fighting them, tears threatened in the corners of his eyes. Nasir only hesitated a moment before he came near his chair and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m sorry… they’ll find him. I’m sure they will. Come here…”

Taking Agron’s hand Nasir guided him towards the couch and made him sit down. Embracing again, he just waited it out until Agron pulled himself back together somewhat and then looked at him. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about him? My room… it’s his room, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It was.” Agron whispered and Nasir shook his head.

“You can’t talk like that…”

“You don’t know, Nasir! Who knows what has happened to him… he could be lying in a ditch somewhere and I don’t have the faintest clue where to start looking for Duro.”

Since Agron had his eyes closed he missed the widening of dark eyes and a moment later Nasir pulled back from him. “D… Duro, you said his name is Duro?”  
Agron nodded and frowned.

“It is… it’s not a very common name, I know, but…”

“I’ve heard it somewhere before. A couple of weeks ago.” Nasir replied softly.

Agron pressed against Nasir’s shoulders before realizing that he might be hurting him. “Tell me… please, where did you hear it?”

“There was… I’ve been…” Nasir tried to get the words out but didn’t succeed. While Agron wanted to be patient he was near shaking the other for the information. 

“Please, Nasir.”

“I lived in a house where a number of boys lived together sharing the same pimp. Most of them come along willingly since they don’t have a home but… some don’t want to stay after a few days. They make them, or drug them. I heard one of the guys say the name.”

“Where?”

Nasir gave him a description of the house, but he couldn’t tell the street. He had escaped it on his own after going to a hotel for one of the clients. Agron wrapped his arms around Nasir tightly. “Thank you… gods, we have to go to the police about this… would you do that? Please, would you do that for me?”  
Nasir couldn’t begrudge the hope he saw in Agron’s eyes and nodded. “Ok, I’ll try…” he whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nasir talks to the police, with result!

Nasir did want to try his best for Agron and tell what he knew to the police. He couldn’t sleep out of worry though and feared that his nightmares would return. After Agron had fallen asleep, he snuck out of the room and went into the living room to watch tv, thinking about what he would say the next morning.  
Agron would want him to go to the police immediately… He was just scared that he would not be able to return afterwards.

“Nasir?”

Startling he looked over his shoulder to find a sleepy Agron in the doorway.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up… can’t sleep.” Nasir apologized quietly, but Agron shrugged and made his way over to the couch.

“Me neither… not really. Thoughts keep turning in my head. What if we are too late?” He asked softly, dreading that very thing. He looked at the younger man but Nasir didn’t find blame in them. He hoped that Agron would still be so understanding after hearing the entire story. Maybe he wouldn’t have to tell him, could ask to be left alone with the police officer.

“If your brother is anything like you, then he’s tough.” He volunteered as comfort. He got hugged in return and crawled closer into Agron’s arms, happy for the brief pause in his mind. It was how they eventually fell asleep together on the couch.

The next morning Nasir wanting nothing more than to just run away and leave everything behind. He did not want to relive what had happened to him at that house, but if he wanted to be a part of Agron’s life, he did not have much choice.  
The man counted on him to find his brother again.

“I want to go alone.” He spoke up as they walked towards the police station. Agron stopped and frowned.

“Why?”

“I…” Nasir began as he tried to breathe through the stab of pain he felt in his chest. “I don’t want you to hear what I’ve done.”

“Nasir…” Agron shook his head and wanted to embrace the younger man once more, but Nasir refused and stepped away.

“I’m doing this for you and for your brother, nobody else. I can understand that if… if you hear everything you don’t want anything to do with me anymore, Agron. I’m not a good guy.”

“You are.” Agron intervened strongly as he put a hand on Nasir’s back to guide him into the police station. “If you don’t want me to hear the interview, then I’ll wait outside, but I’m not going to let you go through this alone. You don’t deserve that.”

Nasir still didn’t believe the man beside him, but he did not have much of a choice. They walked in and it was Agron who informed the police officer of possible information on his brother’s case. The couple was asked to sit in the waiting room. Nasir couldn’t control his leg, his heel bobbing up and down out of pure nerves.  
It took another half an hour before someone who could make up Nasir’s statement was available, but then it all went very fast. Agron agreed with waiting and he just hoped that Nasir could provide the police with enough information to find his brother. 

Hours later Nasir was escorted back towards the waiting room. Agron had gone to find coffee, had texted Spartacus that Nasir would not be coming into work today and then had to answer a long phonecall on the reason why.  
When Agron took one look at Nasir he noticed just how much the whole thing had cost him. Nasir looked exhausted and when Agron reached to touch him, he stepped aside.

“We have valuable information we are going to look into… hopefully we will be able to find your brother.” The police officer informed Agron. While Agron was over the moon with the news, he was wary of showing it with Nasir so closeby.

“Are you ready to go home?” He asked after the police officer had left.

“I’d rather go for a walk.” Nasir replied and when Agron nodded, he stepped away. “Alone.”

“Nasir.”

“I’m sorry Agron, I can’t deal with this right now.” Nasir’s voice sounded so pained that the bigger man relented, but he caught up with his friend when they were outside. 

“Agron, I told you…” Nasir began but Agron wrapped him in his arms.

“I didn’t get to say thank you.” Agron whispered, pressing a kiss to Nasir’s cheek and pulling back a little. “Just promise me you’ll come back home tonight? No running away.”

Home. It was a word Nasir hadn’t used in years, but now it seemed like he had found one. He just hoped that it would remain that way once Duro had been found. Quietly he nodded, he would take the chance now that he still could.

“I told Spartacus that you’d be back to work tomorrow.”

Again, a small nod, but then Agron had to let go and Nasir turned around to walk away. While it was one of the hardest things he had to do, Agron let the other man go. There was nothing which held them together, and that scared him a little. He wanted Nasir to stay… but he couldn’t force him.  
Finally he could go into work and hope to keep a clear head, which was difficult with worrying about not only Duro, but also Nasir. His brother could be on the brink of being found, but in which condition? While Agron could only hope for the best, he felt powerless in both situations.   
After a few hours his boss sent him home, taking pity on him.  
Agron was surprised to find the lights on and the smell of dinner made his mouth water. He had forgotten to eat the entire day and now suddenly felt a pang of hunger in his stomach. Walking to the kitchen he half expected Duro to stand there, but it was Nasir who was plating up the food.

“Hi… I thought you might like some food…” Nasir said shyly.

It only took Agron a few seconds to cross the room. He dropped his bag somewhere half way and cupped Nasir’s cheeks to press a kiss onto his lips. Nasir responded slowly, before wrapping his arms around Agron.

“I can’t stay away from you.” Nasir sighed softly into Agron’s chest.

“I want you to be with me, Nasir.” Agron replied as he hugged the younger man close. In that moment his cellphone began to vibrate and blare out a loud Metallica song.   
Excusing himself, Agron picked the phone out of his pocket and picked it up.

“Is this Agron? Ah, this is officer Nelson. We wanted to inform you that we have tracked the information provided and we found the house described.”

Agron froze.

“And… that means?” He asked carefully.

“We found your brother, he is alive and relatively well. He has been transferred to the hospital. I will text you the data in a moment so that you can go and see him.”

For a moment Agron was completely speechless, before he thanked the man in a halting manner and just stared at Nasir for a long moment.

“They found him.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes… I can go see him in the hospital.”

Nasir quickly put the plates on the table. “Eat something quickly and then go see him. He will want to see you, I’m sure.”

With a smile Agron sat down and he was a little ashamed that he was eating so fast that he barely could taste the food. With a small kiss to Nasir’s lips he left the table and shrugged on his jacket again to drive down to the hospital.  
Nasir didn’t volunteer to go with him, he felt completely out of place between the two brothers.  
At the hospital the nurse behind the desk paged a doctor who could tell him more about his brother’s condition.

“He is malnourished, dehydrated… and there were a few cuts and bruises.” The doctor said quietly towards Agron. “We couldn’t do a full examination yet at this point, but there are reasons to believe that your brother was assaulted.” 

Agron clenched his fists together, but he remained calm at the words. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not at the moment. Go and see your brother… we will do further tests in the coming days, but I’m sure that it won’t take long before you can take him home with you.”

Agron nodded and followed the doctor towards a hospital room a few floors up. As the door opened, he got a small glimpse of his younger brother and startled. Even if   
Duro was never very broad shouldered, he seemed to have shrunken in the few months he had not seen him.  
Pale as the sheet where he rested on, his eyes were sunken back in their sockets.  
Turning his head towards the door he noticed who was standing there and managed a broad smile.

“Brother…”

“Duro!” Agron sighed in relief and hurried towards his brother’s side to give him a careful hug.

The doctor smiled and closed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry for the long pause in between chapters, but writer's block has hit me very hard. I'm slowly starting up again so I hope to write more for this story.


End file.
